Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for applying assistance information for traffic in a wireless communication system.
Related Art
Universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is a 3rd generation (3G) asynchronous mobile communication system operating in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) based on European systems, global system for mobile communications (GSM) and general packet radio services (GPRS). A long-term evolution (LTE) of UMTS is under discussion by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) that standardized UMTS.
3GPP/wireless local area network (WLAN) interworking has been discussed. 3GPP/WLAN interworking may be called traffic steering. From rel-8 of 3GPP LTE, access network discovery and selection functions (ANDSF) for detecting and selecting accessible access networks have been standardized while interworking with non-3GPP access (e.g., WLAN) is introduced. The ANDSF may carry detection information of access networks accessible in location of a user equipment (UE) (e.g., WLAN, WiMAX location information, etc), inter-system mobility policies (ISMP) which is able to reflect operator's policies, and inter-system routing policy (ISRP). Based on the information described above, the UE may determine which IP traffic is transmitted through which access network. The ISMP may include network selection rules for the UE to select one active access network connection (e.g., WLAN or 3GPP). The ISRP may include network selection rules for the UE to select one or more potential active access network connection (e.g., both WLAN and 3GPP). The ISRP may include multiple access connectivity (MAPCON), IP flow mobility (IFOM) and non-seamless WLAN offloading. Open mobile alliance (OMA) device management (DM) may be used for dynamic provision between the ANDSF and the UE.
The MAPCON is a standardization of a technology which enables configuring and maintaining multiple packet data network (PDN) connectivity simultaneously through 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, and enables a seamless traffic offloading in units of all active PDN connections. For this, an ANDSF server provides access point name (APN) information for performing offloading, routing rule, time of day information, and validity area information, etc.
The IFOM supports mobility in a unit of IP flow, which is more flexible and more segmented than the MAPCON, and seamless offloading. The IFOM enables access to different access networks even when the UE is connected to a PDN using the same APN, which is different from the MAPCON. The IFOM also enables mobility in a unit of specific IP traffic flow, not a unit of PDN, for a unit of mobility or offloading, and accordingly, services may be provided flexibly. For this, an ANDSF server provides IP flow information for performing offloading, routing rule, time of day information, and validity area information, etc.
The non-seamless WLAN offloading is a technology that offloads traffics completely so as not to go through the EPC as well as that changes a path of a specific IP traffic to WLAN. The offloaded IP traffic cannot be moved to 3GPP access seamlessly again since anchoring is not performed to the P-GW for mobility support. For this, an ANDSF server provides information as similar as the information provided for the IFOM.
Besides the ANDSF described above, in 3GPP, a method in which a radio access network (RAN) (i.e., base station (BS), radio network controller (RNC)) provides assistance information for traffic steering between 3GPP/WLAN to a UE and the UE performs traffic steering using the received assistance information according to a rule defined by an access stratum standard, for a case that an ANDSF policy is not provided to the UE, has been discussed currently.
The assistance information for traffic steering may be updated depending on overall network situation. However, it is not clear when and how the UE acquires the updated assistance information. Accordingly, a method for handling assistance information effectively is required.